Niagara-on-the-Lake hosts sailing and tennis events for the Canada Summer Games 2022
Adding to the list of Niagara facilities being used for the 2022 Canada Summer Games, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Tennis Club at Memorial Park and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club have been chosen as official venues.
There are now less than 500 days until the beginning of the games. The tennis club recently added two new courts. It has not hosted any prestigious tennis events since the late 1800’s, when the town was home to many international events.
St. Catharines Library waives late fees for children, teens, and seniors
As of Tuesday, May 2nd, the St. Catharines Public Library has eliminated all late fees for children, teens, as well as seniors aged 65 and older. All overdue charges are waived, including previous fines, however lost and damaged fees will still apply. The objective of the shift to a “fine-free” program is to get people into the library.
The library has about 25,000 active borrowers under 18 years old or over 65 years old, and 20 per cent of those individuals have suspended borrowing due to overdue items. About 40,000 active borrowers are aged 18-65 who will continue to be charged late fees.
The St. Catharines Library is joining other libraries in the region including Fort Erie, Lincoln, Pelham, Welland, and Niagara-on-the-Lake in waiving children’s’ fees. Many libraries in Canada have made this shift to reduce barriers and support equitable access to literacy.
Addressing the City of Niagara Falls’ employment land shortfall
The goal of the Employment Lands Strategy is to ensure that Niagara Falls has enough developable land and that these lands are in the right location to meet projected industrial demands for the next 30 years.
It is forecasted that an estimated 2,990 jobs will be assigned to employment areas, however, according to statistics, the City will have a shortfall of employment land of about 147 gross acres. This drives the demand for designating more land to accommodate future industrial job growth based on the long-term employment forecast. This requires an amendment to the City’s Official Plan informed by public consultation.
The Strategy will enter Phase 3 once Council endorses the report. Phase 3 will investigate how and where a new business park can be added, as the City will need to immediately explore new lands for a future employment area. The public and stakeholder consultation will take place via open houses and a statutory public meeting. It is anticipated that the Phase 3 report will be presented to council by the end of the third quarter.
Free access to public beachfront quickly becoming a thing of the past in Niagara
In 2019 Fort Erie’s Bay Beach was the first to charge a fee for access. Sunset Beach and Lakeside Park in St. Catharines followed this year, but with less strict provisions as direct access is free – however, paid parking will be installed for out-of-town visitors.
Parking enforcements and fines will increase as there are concerns of drivers parking on free residential side streets around the beach. The penalties for parking in these prohibited areas will increase from $30 to $100, while expired meter penalties will increase from $20 to $50 during the season.
Port Colborne’s Cedar Bay Beach was one of the last free access public beachfronts, however it too will now cut off free access to out-of-towners. Residents can park for free with their pass, but those Niagara residents from outside of Port Colborne must pay $25-35 per vehicle, while non-Niagara residents must pay $50-55 for the pass. The beach will have stricter enforcement than even Fort Erie’s Bay Beach, as Fort Erie has struggled to control the loaning of beach access cards. Cedar Bay Beach will eliminate the opportunity for locals to loan their access card out, as beachgoers will have to provide identification and proof of residency. Further details will be provided later this week.
$60,000 in accessibility aid received by the Town of Lincoln
The Province of Ontario’s Inclusive Community Grant Program (ICGP) has provided $60,000, the maximum a municipality can apply for, to allow the Town of Lincoln to make changes throughout the community to make it more accessible and inclusive for those with disabilities and the aging population.
The grant will be added to the $200,000 the town approved in their 2021 capital budget process. Forty-four accessibility upgrades will assist residents of varying abilities and help better enhance the use of 10 municipal facilities. These enhancements include: visual strobe fire alarm systems; automatic door systems; accessible parking-lot line painting; barrier-free parking signage; wall-mounted fixtures; service counter upgrades; ramps and curbs; washroom call stations (in 1 facility). These upgrades are targeted to be incorporated by March 2022.
St. Catharines short-term rentals to see further regulations
The City of St. Catharines council is proposing a further licensing bylaw for short-term rentals. The bylaw will be discussed at the May 10th council meeting and is projected to include financial penalties and demerit points for violations.
In December 2020, the city council passed a zoning bylaw amendment allowing short-term rentals to operate as home-based businesses, when the rental is within the principal residence of the owner. The new proposal states that operators must apply for a $500 two-year licence, with a $400 renewal fee. Administrative monetary penalties and a demerit point system will be used to enforce the bylaw. Financial penalties will range from $100 up to $1000 for various violations, while demerit points will be given for 21 types of infractions, remaining active for two years. Two to 10 points can be given out at a time for things ranging from violating the waste bylaw to violating fire safety protocols. Five to nine demerit points lead to a three-month licence suspension, 10 or more lead to a licence being revoked, and less than 15 requires an appeal process. The proposal is expected to go into effect in January.
Optional online learning offered for the entirety of the 2021-2022 school year
While there is still uncertainty looming around students being able to return to school to finish off the current academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are being given the option to take all classes online in September for the next school year. This announcement allows Ontario parents and students to make decisions based on their comfort levels and what works best for them in these times, while it also gives them, along with school boards, the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming year.
Next year, Ontario will increase its funding to school boards by $561 million for continued support for pandemic-related costs. Ontario will spend $25.6 billion on the education system, which is an increase of 2.2% from this year, and $1.6 billion will be provided to school boards in COVID-19 support for things such as upgrading ventilation, supporting learning recovery and allowing for flexible staffing. School boards will have access to their reserves, and the government will continue funding for COVID-19 related expenses.
Vaccine supplies forecasted to increase for Ontario
In May, Ontario is anticipating weekly Pfizer vaccine shipments of more than 795,000 doses, including more than 938,000 doses weekly in June. This increase in supply could allow the province to adjust the four-month interval between the first and second dose. If this is the case, individuals will be contacted to arrange a new appointment.
Over the next two weeks, the province is allocating half of the vaccine supply to the 114 designated COVID-19 hot spots. The province is hopeful that all adults will be offered vaccinations by the end of this month.
Niagara’s one official hotspot is not the region’s hottest
While more vaccines are projected to be received over the next few weeks in Ontario, Niagara’s vaccine supplies continue to be low. This past weekend the region had the fewest inoculations since March 21st, which was expected due to the diminished supplies of vaccines. The increase of vaccinations is also likely to be diverted to other areas, as hotspots are opening up to vaccinating individuals 18 and older starting Monday.
While Niagara has one designated hotspot, the L2G neighborhood in Niagara Falls, according to data, it is not the hottest spot in the region. There are four areas that have a higher percentage of test positivity. These areas include West St. Catharines’ L2W area, Port Colborne’s L3K area, Niagara Falls’ L2E area, as well as St. Catharines’ L2T area. The L2G area was in fact tied for fifth with the L2H area in Niagara Falls. Though this data is variable, other areas have been affected more greatly regarding both positivity rates and hospitalizations.
Nonetheless, those 55 and older in Niagara can currently book their vaccinations, while the age increments will decrease weekly and vaccination eligibility will be expanded by the end of this week and moving forward.
COVID-19 Weekly Update
As of May 5th, there were 123 new cases, 2,055 active cases, and 1,324 new resolved cases in the Niagara Region. There have been no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 395.
St. Catharines continues to have the highest number of active cases at 602, with Niagara Falls and Welland following with 419 and 293 cases. On the low end is Niagara-on-the-Lake, West Lincoln, and Wainfleet with 51, 42, and 26 cases respectively.
Currently about 64.8 per cent of all cases are variant cases of concern.
As of May 5th, there have been a total of 191,097 doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered to Niagara residents, with 2,456 new doses administered yesterday. 37.3 per cent of Niagara residents have had their first dose, while 2.6 per cent have had a complete series.
Dr. Mustafa Hirji is projecting that three-quarters of Niagara adults could have the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by mid-June, which would lead to the start of reopening.
